Love or generosity, Bronze sculpture in Zuidas, Netherlands
"Love or Generosity" is a bronze, stainless steel, and marble composite sculpture standing about 16 ft (5 m) tall in front of the courthouse in Amsterdam's Zuidas district. The figure wears stainless steel pants and marble composite shoes and holds an owl, an arrow, and an acorn in its right hand.
The sculpture was created by French-American artist Nicole Eisenman and installed in 2020 to mark the opening of the new courthouse in Zuidas. It was commissioned specifically for this location as part of a public art initiative tied to the new building.
The figure stands at the courthouse entrance holding an owl, an arrow, and an acorn, each representing a quality such as wisdom or determination. The face and body combine masculine and feminine features, which is a deliberate choice that visitors can clearly see when standing close.
The sculpture stands directly in front of the courthouse entrance in Zuidas and can be seen freely from the public square at any time. It helps to step back a few paces to take in the full height of the figure.
The title "Love or Generosity" is deliberately open-ended, leaving visitors to decide which of the two values the figure embodies. This uncertainty mirrors the figure itself, which does not belong clearly to one gender or the other.
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